capitoline

The tales of the Tarpean Rock and Capitoline Geese are both imbued in history and myth. While the lowest and smallest of Rome’s seven hills, the Capitoline is perhaps the most closely bound to the city’s history given it has since antiquity always been Rome’s political and religious hub. The Capitoline Legend Legend has it that in the age of Rome’s foundation, the hill was conquered by the Sabines as a result of a Roman maiden, named Tarpeia’s betrayal. Tarpeia is said to have offered to open the city’s gates in return for gold rings and bracelets the Sabine’s wore on their arms. Tarpeia’s luck however ran out and she was in turn herself betrayed by the Sabines who, once inside, crushed her to death under the weight of their shields. This then is the legend, although in all probability Tarpeia was none other than a divinity protecting the Capitol’s oldest…